The luxury of having multiple star players on your roster is nothing new in today’s talent-loaded NBA. Arguably the most recent and noteworthy additions have been to the Boston Celtics.

Surrounded with high expectations, the Celts have gotten off to a start that most fans would be quite happy with, Winning 11 of their first 13 games & now sitting at 12-4 following last night’s loss to a hungry Orlando team. As a longtime fan of the Celtics, I am not by any means dissatisfied with where they are. Being at the top of the conference and  being undefeated at home is nothing to complain about. I have simply noticed some things that I feel are worth keeping an eye on.

Jaylen Brown Taking the Reins

Much of the fanbase was skeptical of Jaylen Brown’s standing with the team following a heartbreaking Game 7 defeat to the unrelenting Miami Heat last year. Rumors circled the internet like vultures, hinting at a possible sign & trade in a motion for Damian Lillard or Kevin Durant. What worried me the most about these rumors was Jaylen’s morale.

If I were him, one of the best players on a team that had come so close to a championship, I of course would want to feel desired. And what would make him feel less desired than his front office not having faith in him? Of course all the rumors would be shot down at the end of July when he would sign a record-breaking deal worth north of 300 million dollars, but there was still a lingering uneasiness, a feeling that the organization had only paid him because they had to, and it was possible he was still expendable. This year, I sense something different about him on the court. Offensively he comes across much more authoritative, with a trigger-happy shot and a willpower to put things together on offense. I’m glad he presents with so much confidence, but I remain wary. I do not think the Celtics can beat their opponents with impatient 3-Point shooting & hurried takes to the basket. This leads me to my point on coaching.

Joe Mazzulla’s development as a leader

Head coach Joe Mazzulla was thrusted into his role following a controversy that came completely out of left field. Ime Udoka was a very promising leader during his time with Boston. He knew how much talent he had and he knew how to use it. He did very well managing pace & tempo and if somebody couldn’t get it together he wasn’t afraid to bench them. All things considered, Joe’s approach hasn’t been poor, but his lack of experience absolutely shows. Help was brought in over the summer and his team of assistants seem to have provided him with advantageous input, but there is more which rests on his shoulders. There are multiple possessions a game where the players on the court will look to him for direction and his guidance is for them to figure it out themselves. While I think trusting a team this talented has its validity, this “Live with the Results” philosophy is a dangerous game. He’s been criticized for not using timeouts on many occasions, showing rigidity while also displaying an unwavering belief in the guys he has closing out games. While I admire his grit, I imagine a truly determined coach to come up with tangible plans when games go down to the wire.

Sustaining Fundamental Basketball

Given how recently this group of starters was assembled, I expect there to be some instability in how they operate as a team, so this issue could vanish in 3 months time and I’ll eat my words. This said, I notice a frustrating amount of messy possessions and preventable opportunities for the opponents. Our wings get stopped in their tracks in the paint and something makes them hesitate to just pass the ball out to a guard and keep the play alive. To me, at worst it signals a lack of trust between teammates and aside from that it is just a hard-to-watch lapse of judgment. Defensively, the Celtics have the 4th best rating in the league, largely in thanks to Jrue Holiday’s bravery & Kristaps Porzingis’ sheer length, but this defense is not without its faults, either. The Celtics consistently find themselves getting eaten alive on the offensive glass, whether it be because they aren’t boxing out or nobody makes a play on the ball. These guys are more than gifted athletes and more than capable defenders, if they simply communicate then things like this become much more few and far in between.

In closing, I only want to make it abundantly clear that I am not disappointed in the Celtics’ output thus far. What I’ve mentioned could merely be wrinkles ironed out in  due time. After all, I am only a fan who cares a little too much about millionaires bouncing a ball around.

Thank you as always for reading.